MLS finalists for MVP and other awards

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER (Nov. 19 announcement)
Chris Wondolowski, San Jose
Edson Buddle, Los Angeles
David Ferreira, DallasWho should win: Buddle's great start was interrupted by the World Cup and Ferreira led Dallas to its best season, but Wondolowski (18 of the Quakes' 34 goals, including their past 10) was the most valuable to an otherwise ordinary club.

COACH OF THE YEAR (Nov. 11)
Schellas Hyndman, Dallas
Jason Kreis, Real Salt Lake
Hans Backe, New YorkWho should win: High marks for Backe and Kreis, but Hyndman guided a Dallas club bordering on irrelevancy to a 12-4-14 mark.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (Nov. 3)
Tim Ream, New York
Andy Najar, D.C. United
Danny Mwanga, PhiladelphiaWho should win: If you renamed the award "Most Valuable Rookie," Ream wins easily. If you're relying on numbers, Mwanga (seven goals, four assists) is the pick. But the best of the three is Najar, a special talent who seized the opportunity with a bad team and produced five league goals plus two strikes in the U.S. Open Cup.

For the others.....

GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR (Nov. 3)
Kevin Hartman, Dallas
Nick Rimando, Real Salt Lake
Donovan Ricketts, Los AngelesWho should win: Hartman had the best goals against average but sat out one-third of the league schedule. Rimando played all but three league matches and, bolstered by a stronger backline than Hartman's, had 14 shutouts. The choice is Rimando, by a whisker.

DEFENDER OF THE YEAR (Nov. 5)
Jamison Olave, Real Salt Lake
Omar Gonzalez, Los Angeles
Nat Borchers, Real Salt LakeWho should win: Olave was the centerpiece of an RSL unit that set the league record for fewest goals against (20).

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR (Nov. 10)
Alvaro Saborio, Real Salt Lake
Thierry Henry, New York
Joel Lindpere, New YorkWho should win: Costa Rica's Saborio had 12 goals, but Lindpere's influence was crucial for the Red Bulls. We'll go with Lindpere

COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR (Nov. 10)
Chris Albright, New York
Bobby Convey, San Jose
Brek Shea, DallasWho should win: Albright missed almost all of 2009 to start 18 matches this year. Convey started 25 games in 2009; what was the comeback? Albright.

booo! i like buddle but he is not even the MVP of his own team. donovan is the best player in the league and led LA to best record in league. and he has the stats to back it up. leading the league in assists despite missing 1/5 of season on nats duty AND throwing in 7 goals is silly. wish he was playing over seas, but he is not and he is the MVP...

Couldn't agree more on the Donovan arguement. Its great to score a lot of goals but Donovan has led two teams over the summer and was critical for a third team last winter/spring. However, what counts is his MLS experience and it's hard to argue with his stats this year.

Buddle, LeToux and Wondo should be competing for striker of the year not MVP.

Praise goes to Gaven, but unfortunately for him it comes out to more like 9gaa. How does Henry get onto the newcomer's list? I'm no Pink Cows fan, but I'd say Marquez has done more for the team... Props to Najar!

On LeToux, I approve of the 'you didn't make the playoffs' method. You need to separate out guys who are very close in production, and how much worse would Philly's record have been without him? A couple games, probably, where San Jose, Dallas and LA actually had a lot of wins at risk if their guys don't perform. I go with Wondo.

I think Bouna Condoul was overlooked in the goalkeeper category. I think he had a better year than Ricketts.

I don't see Ream being more valuable to the Red Bulls than Najar is to to DCU based on Goff's "Most Valuable Rookie" logic. I think we would have been much worse off without Najar than NYRB would have been without Ream.

Also, Henry for comeback player of the year next year when he starts 6 games instead of 5.

I don't see Ream being more valuable to the Red Bulls than Najar is to to DCU based on Goff's "Most Valuable Rookie" logic. I think we would have been much worse off without Najar than NYRB would have been without Ream.

Also, Henry for comeback player of the year next year when he starts 6 games instead of 5.

I don't see Ream being more valuable to the Red Bulls than Najar is to to DCU based on Goff's "Most Valuable Rookie" logic. I think we would have been much worse off without Najar than NYRB would have been without Ream.

Also, Henry for comeback player of the year next year when he starts 6 games instead of 5.

Instead of JaimeSegundo, your username should be JaimeTercero for posting three times.

Also, I'd vote for Hans Backe for coach of the year. He took the worst team in the league and made them into one of the best (OK so a few player acquisitions helped, but managing that still requires coaching talent).

Not sure if I can deal with Wondolowski as MVP. I can't help but think he's the product of the system. And unlike basketball or baseball, your numbers guy isn't necessarily the catalyst. I think it's pretty clear to everyone the MVP in San Jose is Geovanni. Sure Wondo has to do his part, but I tend to think any average (Alan Gordon? John Wolyniec?) striker with a nose for goal would look pretty darn good in front of Geovanni this year. Buddles' goals often require a little extra work and Ferreira's contributions are well documented, too. Meanwhile, if Wondolowski continues this pace for years to come we can put him in the Alan Shearer/Andy Cole "Hall of Fame For Strikers Who Knock in Sitters for a Living".

Not sure if I can deal with Wondolowski as MVP. I can't help but think he's the product of the system. And unlike basketball or baseball, your numbers guy isn't necessarily the catalyst. I think it's pretty clear to everyone the MVP in San Jose is Geovanni. Sure Wondo has to do his part, but I tend to think any average (Alan Gordon? John Wolyniec?) striker with a nose for goal would look pretty darn good in front of Geovanni this year. Buddles' goals often require a little extra work and Ferreira's contributions are well documented, too. Meanwhile, if Wondolowski continues this pace for years to come we can put him in the Alan Shearer/Andy Cole "Hall of Fame For Strikers Who Knock in Sitters for a Living".

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